


Hidden Gem - Daichi Sawamura x Reader | COMPLETED

by IppenX



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Cats and Owls included, Complete, Daichi is actually hopelessly romantic, F/M, Hugs, Kisses, POV First Person, Relationship built from 0 bc that's how I roll, Side note: MC's mother is a bitch, Tokyo date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2017-10-25
Packaged: 2019-01-23 03:29:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12497716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IppenX/pseuds/IppenX
Summary: The two volleyball captains - friends since middle school and fated to be together one way or another, weren't they? But while everyone's eyes were on him and Michimiya, Daichi's heart was somewhere else entirely ...





	1. The Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is a cross-posting account: I'm primarily active on Quotev.com, where you can find me under the same username [IppenX].  
> Link to original post: quotev.com/story/9542565

The guys were rushing to clean the gym after an extended practice. Daichi picked up a mop to go help the others, but Tanaka pulled it from his hand and ran off with it, laughing.

"Oi, what was that for?"

"We can wrap up by ourselves, captain - you've got other places to be!"

Standing next to Daichi, Noya nodded eagerly. "Most definitely! You can't keep your girl waiting!"

Putting on his jacket, Daichi closed his eyes.

_Yeah, she's waiting for me by the gates. She always is ... no matter how late we practice._

The thought should bring a smile to his face, but he couldn't even bring himself to turn the corner of his lips upward.

Noya pulled him out of his thoughts: "How long has it been since you and Michimiya got together anyway? Has it been half a year already?"

"No ... something like 4 or 5 months, I think."

"Daaaaaaichi, come on! You don't even know for how long you've been together? Damn, you must be really in love with her! Is it so great that you don't even bother keeping track of time any more? I always knew you'd be super romantic when you guys finally got together!"

"Wait ... what do you mean you always knew?"

Noya stopped jumping left and right and looked at Daichi with confusion: "Well, what do you think I mean? It was obvious, the whole time! We all knew you had feelings for her! Or did you think we were completely oblivious to how great you guys were together? We all shipped you two! We all knew, you idiot!"

"Heh, I see ... thank you, Nishinoya."

"Yeah yeah, now haul your ass. I BARELY forgave the fact you waited for HER to make the first move, if you keep her waiting I'll be mad at you again!"

"Got it, got it, I'm already going." He said in an attempt to calm him down.

 

He took his bag and slowly walked towards the club room to change clothes. Going from the club room to the gates, his pace was even slower and he was almost dragging his feet, lost in the thoughts which the practice usually silenced - but as soon as the ball dropped for the last time and the mops were brought out, the same old feeling of pain and regret crept back into him again and again for the past 5 moths.

_I should be happy now. I should be so happy now ... ah, Nishinoya, if only you knew how far away from the truth all of you are ... but then again, I'm the one who's standing the furthest from the truth, and still running away from it._

 

He suddenly heard his name called out and looked up to see Michimiya standing a few meters away, waving her hand.

He jogged up to her and gave her a hug. "You didn't have to wait for me ... I feel bad for making you stand here every day!"

She shook her head: "No, it's my own decision to wait for you!"

They held hands on their way home like they always did, but Daichi still felt like he had to apologize: "I know, but I was super late today, you rea-"

"I had to."

He looked at her, surprised at the sudden determination in her voice.

They were just walking past a playground and she tugged on his arm. "Can we go sit on the swings?"

"Sure," he nodded.

They sat down on the swings and stayed in silence for a while, only the creaking of Michimiya's swing disrupting the awkward atmosphere between them.

"Daichi ... we have a problem."

He didn't know what to say.

"Daichi?"

"Uhm ... what's wrong?"

"I love you."

He chuckled awkwardly. "I know you do ... you've told me at least once every day for the past 5 months. I don't see what's wrong here?"

She sighed, a tear rolling down her cheek as she looked up towards the sky.

 

**"You've never said it back."**

 

He bit his lip.

Perhaps a bit too strongly because he could taste blood faintly seeping into his mouth, but that just made him grind his teeth down with more force.

_No ... no, no, no. Please, someone tell me this isn't really happening._

"Daichi?"

He turned to face her, momentarily at a loss for words before he was finally able to speak again: "Yui, I ... I think you're an incredible person, I've always admired you ever since we were in junior high together, I've always liked how much you smile and how you always do your best! I've been so proud every time you relied on me for advice, every time you asked me to help you practice receives ... and when you asked me if I wanted to go out with you, I was completely shocked ... I think you're absolutely too good for me!"

It was his best attempt to convey how much he cared for her, but she returned his trembling gaze with the utmost piercing look in her eyes:

"But ... do you love me?"

His gaze fell to the ground as he clenched his hands into fists. "I ..."

_Come on, just say it ... it doesn't matter. Just say it. "I love you."_

As he repeated those words in his mind over and over again, images began to flash before his eyes - images he swore he would never think of again.

_Three years ago. Entrance ceremony. I'm running out into the yard, I'm going to meet up with Yui like we planned to - she's standing there, waving her hand as she sees me ... and you're standing next to her, as shy as ever. I wish I could turn back time and make it so that you'd never befriend Yui on that day, so that she'd never introduce you to me in the first place ... so that I wouldn't have to live with the curse of falling in love with you._

In the mean time, Michimiya stood up from her swing and stretched out her arms.

"I knew it. Heh, I knew it all along, but it still hurts this much. It's not me, is it? I was so happy when we started high school and you were coming to my classroom all the time and talking to me, but ... that wasn't because of me, was it? It couldn't have been. Because I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember, but from the moment you saw her, she's the only one you've ever had eyes for. I know that. I knew it when I asked you out. And yet you still said yes to me - why?!"

"I ... I didn't want to hurt you by turning you down. And I thought maybe, I could get over her and ... and fall in love with you."

"But you didn't."

"I didn't."

Silence loomed over them for an approximate eternity and it was starting to get unbearable.

"Yui, I'm so-"

"Don't you dare." She snapped back at him.

Still sitting on his swing, he looked up at her.

"Don't you dare apologize to me now, Daichi. Don't you dare. It's my fault in the end. I knew you were in love with her and still ... I hoped you might fall for me if I tried hard enough. But that's not gonna happen, I think we both know that now."

"I really didn't want to hurt you."

"I know. Look, I'll be fine."

She managed to force a smile, but he saw right through it. "You won't be."

"Well, not right away, I admit. I'm gonna go cry by myself in a corner somewhere, you know I'm good at that ... and then eventually, I'll be fine."

"Bu-"

"No more excuses, Daichi. I faced my reality - now you have to face yours."

"You can't be serious."

"Oh, but I am. Goodbye, Daichi. Thank you for everything ... and I hope that after a while, we can be friends again - just friends."

She said, walking away with a slow and steady pace. He could hear her start running as soon as she was out of his sight, but his own feet were cemented to the ground. He couldn't even stand up, much less walk home ... and so he sat on the swings, alone.


	2. Chapter 2

I stretched my arm out of bed to reach my phone which was ringing loudly on my desk. Rubbing my eyes, I looked at the screen.

_Yui? Oh, she might need help with math homework, good thing I've finished it already!_

I eagerly picked up: "Hey, Yui! How's it going?"

"Hey ..." Her voice cracked on the other side of the phone and I was almost sure she was crying.

"Uh, this isn't about math homework, is it? Are you okay, Yui? What happened? Are the first years in the volleyball club causing trouble again? Because you should't blame yourself for that, you really shouldn't! You're a wonderful captain an-"

"It's not the first years."

"Oh."

I then heard something that could have still been the sound of her crying, but it sounded almost like a faint laughter.

"Yui?"

I heard her let out a heavy sigh. "Oi, you ... you're the number one idiot."

"M-Me? What d-did I do? Why am I an idiot ... Yui?"

Too late - she already hung up.

I immediately tried to call her back, but her number was now out of service.

I laid back down on my bed and pulled my knees to my chest. I tried to return to my nap, but with no luck: Yui's words kept echoing in my head.

_Why did my best friend call me an idiot? What did I do? Did I screw something up? How could I make her cry like that??? I ... I don't understand what just happened. What did I do? Oh ... wait ... I know ... she must have gotten tired of me leaning onto her all the time. Now that she's been with Daichi for a while, she must have finally realized that I'm not a good enough friend to keep around .... I'll try to fix this tomorrow ... at least I can apologize, right? Right._

 

~~

 

I rushed straight over to her the next morning. I'm terrified of people paying attention to me, but that day deserved an exception.

"Yui!!" I yelled as loudly as I could while running down the hallway to our class room.

She popped her head through the door and stepped out in the hall when she saw me. "Wha- what's going on? I've never heard you yell before."

Out of breath, I bowed in front of her. "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry. I've depended on you too much and I understand why you're mad at me. Ever since that first day when you came to talk to me after the opening ceremony because you saw that I was all alone - I've been hiding in your shadow ever since and it's okay if you've had enough, it really is, I am sorry for being a bother but I ... I was kind of already waiting for when you'd realize it, so I can deal with it somehow ... just please, don't be mad at me!"

I was suddenly yanked up by my hair.

"Auch! That hu-"

And then there came a slap across my face.

"Y-Yui?" I muttered, on the verge of tears.

"What are you saying. What are you even saying? This has nothing to do with any of that."

"I-It doesn't?"

She shook her head.

"B-But, aren't you mad because I'm leaning on to you too much?"

"No, I'm mad at you because you're too shy and you keep putting yourself down - how many times do I have to tell you that you're my best friend and that I lean on you just as much as you do on me?"

"Then ... why did you call me an idiot?"

She looked around her, seemingly unsure of how to pick her words.

But it didn't really matter because in that moment, I realized that this whole exchange went down in the middle of the 3rd year hallway and a small crowd has gathered around us already.

_Oh ... no ... uhm ... there's .... people ... and I was so loud and yelled at Yui and ... and .... uf .... oh no_

Before I completely fell apart, Yui pulled my by the arm and led me into our classroom, shutting the door behind us. We walked to our desks together and sat down, not paying much attention to the few other classmates who came a bit early just like us.

"I'm sorry for the scene outside, I didn't mean to hit you so hard. Are you okay?"

I nodded. "You did nothing wrong, you know best that I need a harsh reminder sometimes."

"That's what I always tell you, yeah. But I'm still worried because I can't tell if your face is red from the slap or from the embarrassment." She said, laughing.

"Yui, please ..." I tried to stop her, but instead started to laugh as well.

 

The rest of the day went by pretty much like usual, but I still had the feeling she was holding something back. On several occasions, I contemplated asking her about it once more, but something about her aura lead me to believe that would be a bad idea.

_It's okay, Yui ... you can take your time. But I'll find out why exactly you called me an idiot, and I will fix that. Because I know I must have done something, but you probably don't want to tell me ... you believe in me so much, yes, you're probably doing this on purpose - waiting for me to find my mistake on my own!_

_Well, I will most definitely not let you down. I have my own sources too, heh!_

_But um ... ah ... I'm getting ahead of myself. After all, that means going over to his classroom all on my own and ... uf ... I don't know anyone there except Sugawara ... no, it will be fine, if I leave right after the bell rings for lunch break, he should still be in the classroom and I won't have to talk to anyone else and I can just drop by before he meets up with Yui._

_Okay, that's the plan. I've got this._

As soon as the bell rang, I walked down the hallway to class 3-4 and peaked through the door, but I couldn't see Daichi anywhere, and to make matters worse, Sugawara wasn't there either.

I tried my best to retreat from the door unnoticed, but as I stepped backwards, I bumped into someone.

"H-Hey there." A deep voice murmured as I turned around to look at the human wall in front of me.

_Yiiiikes - oh, wait, it's just Azumane. It's okay ... Daichi says he only looks scary._

"Uhm, I'm looking for Daichi, actually. Have you seen him?"

Azumane looked down at me with a worried expression. "I haven't ... Suga just came to tell me that he left class after the first period and no one's seen him since, so I was just going to ask if you or Michimiya saw him somewhere, but I guess ...."

"We haven't seen him either. But I ... um .... I think I can go check a few places outside?"

"Yeah, I'll tell Suga. Thanks."


	3. Chapter 3

I went out into the yard and looked around the benches, but Daichi wasn't anywhere to be found. He wasn't in the gym, he wasn't on the sports field and no one saw him anywhere.

_Just what is happening here ... wait._

_Oh wait._

I stopped dead in my tracks.

_Yui is all weird. Daichi is skipping class. Oh wow, how could I have been so stupid? All this time, I thought she was upset because I did something wrong when probably ... most likely ... it looks like she and Daichi had a fight. Mhnm, definitely. But in that case, at least now I know where he is._

I turned around and ran towards the far end of the school grounds behind the main building and sure enough, sitting on a half-broken bench that no one used anymore, there was Daichi.

He heard me running and looked up. When our eyes met, a shocked expression took over his face. "What are you doing here?"

"E-Everyone is looking for you."

"I thought they'd be ... but how did you know I was here?"

"Because ... I mean ... doesn't everyone know?"

"Know what?"

"That this is the place where you go when you're sad."

He looked to the ground, faintly shaking his head. "No. You're the only one who's ever seen me here."

Carefully, I sat down next to him and patted his shoulder as he was still slumped down, his eyes averted to the ground.

"Yeah ... I'll never forget that day after you guys lost your first high school tournament. You were sitting here, completely in tears. I was scared, you know? It was the first time I've ever seen you cry. But then after that Dateko match last year, when Azumane quit volleyball, you also went here ... and you were also crying. So I just made a connection that ... uhm ... if something is wrong, you would probably be here."

He let out a faint breath of air through his nose that sounded like a cynical laugh.

_He's not saying anything ... uf, this is harder than I thought it would be. I have to say something, I think ... at least I can try?_

"Uhm... Hey, I figured out something happened with you and Yui, and I just want you to know that, ehm .... things are gonna work out, right? I mean, uhm, I don't want to sound cocky or anything because after all, I don't ... I don't really have any experience in relationships, heh ... but I know that it will all be okay, because you guys love each other and these kinds of things always end up great and happy in romance movies, so ..."

_Oh boy, what am I blabbing on about?? Daichi, please, come to your senses, I'm not good at pep talks!_

"Do you like romance movies?"

"Uh ... um ... I do, they're my favorite kind of movies. Why?" I stuttered in reply, not really sure what he meant in the first place.

"Would you like to watch one with me sometime?"

_W-w-what?_

"Daichi, what are you talking abou-"

With tears streaming down his face, he finally looked at me and his gaze rendered me utterly speechless.

"Yui and I are over. She broke up with me."

_H-huh? What is going on ... How did this, no, why did this happen??_

"Why would she do that?!"

"Because she realized that I could never love her."

"But Daichi, that's ... you love her more than anyth-"

"NO!" He stood up suddenly, his face twisted in agony as he shouted at me.

I jumped up right after him, pulling his hand to try and get him to calm down - but instead, I found myself pulled into his embrace without warning. My eyes widened in disbelief as he held me so close to him, I could feel his irregular heartbeat thumping in his chest.

"I never loved her! From the first day I saw you, from the first moment when you blushed as I came running into the yard after our entrance ceremony, it's always been you. You and no one else! Don't you get it?! You're the one I'm in love with! The only one .... the only one I've ever loved in my whole life."

His arms tightened around me and if he pulled me any closer, my bones would break. I just stood there, frozen to the spot, unable to do anything as my mind went completely blank.

"Please ... say something ... please ... anything!"

I finally managed to take a breath: "Daichi."

"Y-Yes?!"

 

"Let me go."

 

As if in a trance, he unwrapped his arms from around me.

I saw the tears falling down his face as I looked away from him.

I heard him calling after me as I ran away as fast as I could.

But I couldn't turn back.

_I had no idea. I had no idea! Yui ... Yui ... you knew? Oh no ... I'm the reason you got hurt ... oh please no. Please, let me relive this day again so none of this has to happen. Please, let me wake up from this nightmare._

_How could you, Daichi? How could you?! Yui has loved you ever since junior high - you were aways her everything ... so how could you fall in love with me? Why?! Why couldn't it be her?_


	4. Chapter 4

Days later, Noya's knees scraped the floor for the umpteenth time as he dived after another one of Daichi's missed balls.

Agitated when he failed to pick it up, he turned to Daichi: "That was your ball! Why are you making me chase all of them?"

"Sorry." Daichi said without even looking at him. "Practice's over anyway, that was their set point."

"And why did our side lose again for the fourth time this week? Because you're slugging like a snail, I'm diving around trying to cover for your ass and Ennoshita over there basically has a free half of the field to spike at with you in rear guard!"

"Noya ..." Suga tried to calm down the situation and stop their feisty libero from getting into the captain's face.

"What?!"

"Let's just clean up, okay?"

The others were already picking up balls and taking the net down. They all heard about Daichi's breakup, but no one found the right time or place for a conversation, so they just never brought it up and did their best to ignore the fact that their admired captain no longer tried his best ... or tried at all, actually.

It was hard for all of them, but Noya - being the loudest of the bunch - had extremely low tolerance for that kind of unspoken bullshit ... and at that point, he became too angry with Daichi to hold himself back:

"No! No, no, no! I've had enough of this!" He shook Suga off and ran towards Daichi, grabbing his shirt and pulling him down to eye level. "What is your problem?! We all know what happened, we're all feeling sorry and confused so .... why won't you talk to us? Come on, man ... scream or cry or something, I don't know ... I just want things to go back to how they were with you!"

With a monotone look in his eyes, Daichi remained completely unfazed as he slowly pushed Noya away from him.

"Let it go. I'll never be the way I was before. Never." He said, reaching to take his jacket before leaving.

Noya stared at him in disbelief. "What happened to you, man ... just what the hell happened?"

With a soft sigh, Daichi turned around one last time before walking out the door.

**"I lost my girlfriend and I lost the love of my life ... and those were two different people."**

 

The rest of the team stared after him in silence as he slowly walked out of their sight.

"Two ... two different people??" Tanaka piped up eventually. "Suga, what did he mean?"

Suga, looking just as shocked as everyone else, waved his hands to dismiss Tanaka's question. "Don't look at me, I'm just as clueless as all of you are."

"But you're his best friend!"

"Yes, I am. And for all I knew, he was absolutely crazy about Michimiya."

"We all thought that." Noya sighed, slumping to the floor.

"Uhm... I didn't."

The guys turned around at once to see who that statement came from and Asahi suddenly found himself in a rather uncomfortable position, with all of their eyes on him.

Noya got back up and ran to him: "What the hell do you mean?"

"Well ... I was really shocked when he started dating Michimiya, but I just didn't say anything because, you know ... I'm awkward with people, so I thought I must have gotten the wrong idea."

"What wrong idea?"

"A-About that other girl."

"What other girl??"

"His other friend, from Michimiya's class ... you know who I'm talking about, right, Suga?"

Suga nodded slowly, an expression of deep thought on his face.

Hinata then joined in: "But I've never seen Daichi talk to any other girl. Did you, Kageyama?"

The genius setter thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"And I haven't either!" Noya cried out.

"That's because she's ... a bit unnoticeable, I guess?" Suga said, still contemplating things. "She's really shy and quiet and almost seems like she's trying to avoid people noticing her. Michimiya introduced her to us at the entrance ceremony and they've been best friends ever since, but I never really spoke to her. She came to our classroom a few times, but Michimiya was almost always with her so she didn't actually talk much ... and there was this one time in first year when she bumped into Asahi by accident and ran away crying ... but for the life of me, I can't remember anything else about her. To me, it always looked as if she was third-wheeling them."

Asahi shook his head. "Daichi definitely cares about her. But I guess it makes sense now ..."

"What does?" Suga asked him.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I had this hunch after we heard about the break up ... I've been walking past her class every day since and she's never there. See, I think ... I mean, it's kind of weird, but I think Daichi confessed to her and she rejected him and ... "

"And she's avoiding him now by skipping school." Hinata ended his thought. "So that's what he meant when he said he lost her ... Guys, shouldn't we help out? We can go find her house and tell her how sad Daichi is and ask her to rethink and mayb-"

"Hinata, it's okay." Suga cut him off. "We can't do anything and neither should we. This is his fight ... love is a thing for two people - once more people start budging in, it gets complicated very fast. So we should stay out of it, really. All we can do is support him as friends."

Noya laughed. "So you're telling me we can't help him pick up girls, but I'm still supposed to pick up his ball when he doesn't even go for it?"

"If you would, yes please. I have a feeling he'll try to turn things around eventually ... so let's just hold out until then, okay?"

 

~~~

 

Walking down the street by himself, Daichi suddenly felt a shiver run through his spine.

_Ouch ... why do I have a feeling like Suga is trying to encourage me from somewhere?? Gaaaah, I'm working on it, I really am ... but this is just so hard and ... and ... it hurts._

Like every other day after she ran away and never came back to school, he ended up standing in front of her house on his way home once again. Silently, he stood there, staring at the window of her room.

_It hurts._

And just like every other day, he eventually walked on by, unable to gather the courage to ring the doorbell.

Except that this time, a voice called out from behind him:

"Where do you think you're going?"


	5. Chapter 5

He turned around to see her father standing at the door. "Good day, sir ..." He nodded in his direction, unsure of what to do.

"Sawamura, you rang the doorbell, didn't you?"

"N-No, I didn't ..."

He motioned towards the door. "Oh, but I'm pretty sure I heard it ring." He said with a gaze that allowed no resistance. "Come on in."

He lead him into the kitchen where they sat down at the table.

Daichi still had no idea what to say or do, so he darted his eyes around the room awkwardly to avoid eye contact.

"So, boy, mind explaining to me?"

"What ... what am I supposed to explain?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe start with why my precious daughter is crying in her room?"

Something tugged at his heart and suddenly, he was on the brink of tears himself as well. "She's crying?"

"Yes. More or less hasn't stopped moping around for the past four days ... though most of the time, she's just staring at the void in front of her. She hasn't said a single word to me either." Sighing, he paused for a while. "You told her, didn't you?"

"Huh?"

Her father chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "Look, I might be divorced, but that doesn't mean I was born yesterday - I know a man in love when I see one."

Daichi slumped his shoulders as his gaze dropped to the floor.

_It's pointless to lie ... I see that now._

"Yes. I told her how I feel about her, but she ... she just ignored me ... and now she's avoiding me." He then looked back up, partially to stop the tears that formed in the corners of his eyes from falling and partially because he wanted to face her father straight on:

"She doesn't want anything to do with me and I'll accept that - it's the least I can do for her." He said, standing up from the table to leave.

"Heh ... you're telling that to the wrong person."

"W-what?"

"You know well enough. Now go, I don't have all day to keep you here."

 

~~

 

Siting on my bed, I could hear my dad talking with Daichi downstairs - I was certain that I heard his voice even though it made absolutely no sense as to why he'd come here. For the most part, there were muffled voices coming from the kitchen and I couldn't make out what they were saying, but a sense of relief flooded over me when I heard dad tell him to go.

_Finally .... he's gone ... it's okay ... it's okay, it really is okay._

I was so preoccupied with my thoughts that I didn't hear the slow footsteps nearing my room until it was already too late. With a soft knock, the door opened and I saw Daichi step into the room.

Embarrassed, I pulled a blanket over my head to hide my blushing face.

_Why ... why is he here? Does he expect me to be able to look at him like nothing has happened, even after all the things he said to me? Because I ... I can't._

"I know you probably hate me right now ... but please, let me apologize."

I tugged the corners of my blanket closer to me without saying anything.

"Uhm ... can I sit next to you?"

I was about to say no, but something stopped me.

_It's not like we haven't sat on my bed together before ... all the times when we had movie nights with him and Yui, and all the times when he stopped by after we both walked Yui home before they got together ... we'd sit here and talk about so many things ... and I thought nothing of it. Were all those times special to you, Daichi? I wonder ... were you hurting the whole time?_

"You can sit here ... if you want." I said.

I heard one of my pillows fall down on the floor as he sat down next to me, keeping some distance between us. Something inside of me was itching to see him, but I kept the blanket on my head, still hiding my face - it somehow seemed like the better thing to do, because I really didn't know how to face him.

"I'm a horrible person, I know." He spoke after a while.

_Yes ... you kind of are._

Ignoring my lack of response, he went on: "I should have told you long ago. I should have told you everything ... I know I can't fix the past, but I can tell you now ... because all the things I ever wanted to tell you are still in my heart. Will you please hear me out?"

I nodded slightly, enough so that he could see it even with the blanket over my head.

After a long sigh, the words spilled from his mouth and seemed like they couldn't be stopped:

"The first time I saw you, I wanted to tell you that you were the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. When you almost failed math in our first year and I was helping you study, I wanted to tell you that I think you're an amazing person, even if you'll never understand how a quadratic equation works. And when you returned the favor and taught me literature, I really wanted to say that I wish you'd speak more often, because your voice was so beautiful when you read pieces of novels and especially when you did your best to get me interested in poems. I really loved hearing you read poems ... I knew that it meant nothing to you, but I ... I sometimes closed my eyes and imagined that those poems were meant only for me. And then you always got angry at me because you thought I was falling asleep, and I wanted to tell you that I would never fall asleep if it mean missing the chance to hear your voice! When Suga and Asahi asked me to find a manager for our volleyball club, yeah, Shimizu was the first one I asked because I was sure she'd say yes ... but I actually wanted to ask you. I didn't, because I knew that it would be too much for you and I knew that you would probably be scared of everyone in the club - I mean, you did bump into Asahi once and ran away immediately, heh. It would be selfish to ask you to deal with so many people ... but still, I really wanted to ask you ... because then I'd get to see you more and you'd get to see how cool I look when receiving a serve, and I thought maybe you'd fall for me if you thought I was cool."

I clutched my hands to my chest and tried to keep calm as I listened to him. There were so many moments that I never knew about, but he was still far from done:

"In second year, we had to write so many essays and I barely passed most of them, but I got a really good mark on one of them - you remember, right? Of course you remember ... I came running to your classroom to tell you and you jumped up and hugged me because "all the time spent showing you how to write finally paid off!" And yet ... I never told you what the essay was about. We had to write about our fears, and I ... I wrote about how afraid I was that I could never tell a girl how I feel about her. I wrote about you, I wrote that I loved you ... but I couldn't tell you. This year, after Yui asked me to go out wit her, my literature teacher congratulated me after class one day and she said that she's happy seeing I was finally able to be honest with my feelings ... she thought my essay was about Yui. I never noticed, but a lot of people seemed to think that I had feelings for her, even all the guys on the team! Noya said they all knew I was head over heels for her ... but I wasn't. When she told me that she loves me, my mind went completely blank ... I wanted to cry ... but I smiled and said that yes, I'd go out with her. I don't know why. Maybe I panicked ... or maybe I didn't want her to feel the same way I've been feeling. I think at some point, I even wished that I could fall in love with her ... but I couldn't. And the more everyone kept saying how perfect we were for each other, the more it pissed me off ... they all saw how strong my emotions were, but no one noticed who they were actually for. It felt like you were invisible to everyone else, and I know that usually makes you happy, but it made me sad ... and it hurt so much ... because it felt like no one else noticed you, and yet ... you were all I ever saw. All I ever thought about ... you were my whole world."

I heard him trying to swallow back tears, but even I couldn't hold back my own as he slowly finished his thoughts:

"And you still are ... you still are my whole world. But that's not how you want things to be, and I don't want to hurt you any more than I already have ... so I guess this is goodbye."

I closed my eyes while tears were rolling down my face one after the other.

_Daichi ... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!_

I heard as he stood up and walked towards the door, only to stop after a few steps: "There's one more thing I want to tell you ... I still think you're the most beautiful girl, even with that blanket on your head."

His footsteps then went on, slow and defeated. Those few seconds stretched out like hours in my mind as I tried desperately to calm down, to take a deep breath, to keep my eyes closed and just wait for him to leave. But I couldn't. My feet moved on their own as I jumped up and called after him:

"Daichi!"


	6. Chapter 6

I felt his body tense up the second I flung my arms around him from the back. My face was still covered with tears and they just kept coming as I called his name again and again:

"Daichi ... Daichi ... Daichi ...."

_What am I doing ... What's going on ... Will he leave? Can I make him stay? Do I even have the right to?_

He slowly turned around and wrapped his arms around me. We stood in the middle of my room, in each other's arms, both covered in tears, listening to the beating of our hearts. He pulled me closer and closer to him and even when I thought he couldn't possibly hold me any more desperately, his grip still tightened, as if he never planned to let me go again.

He leaned down to whisper in my ear, his voice overflowing with pain: "Don't cry ... please ... I can take anything else, anything ... just not your tears. I'm not strong enough to see you cry ... please ... " His voice was shaking so much, he had to pause between words. "Tell me how to make it stop ... I can't look at you crying ... I'll do anything so you don't have to cry anymore."

"Daichi ..."

The feeling of his hot breath hitting my ear stopped for a moment and then I felt something equally warm on my cheek. I softly gasped in shock as his lips caught one of my falling tears ... and then the next one ... and the next one. He held my face with both of his hands as his slow kisses rained down on my cheeks, my nose, my eyelids ...

_Where is this warmth coming from ... why do I feel this, this .... this overwhelming happiness?? Please ... let me keep this feeling a little longer ... just one more second ... just one more._

Slowly, I stopped crying. He wrapped his arms around my back again and kissed the top of my head as I leaned into his embrace. A pained sigh escaped his lips as he ran his fingers through my hair.

"Can I ask you something?"

I nodded and he then let go of me, taking a step back. "How do you feel about me?"

His eyes were searching mine, waiting for an answer.

"I don't know ... I had no idea about your feelings for me and I ... I never saw you as someone like that. I'm still kinda shocked because .... you're you and you're in love with me."

He chuckled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

I sighed and took a few steps back, sitting on the corner of my bed. "Do you know why everyone liked you and Yui together?"

"I don't."

"Because couples like you two are simply ... meant to be. You both play the same sport, you're both captains and all your other teammates rely on you. It's just like-"

"Just like a movie." He finished my sentence, sitting next to me and leaving no space between us this time.

"Yeah." I paused for a while, unsure of what to say, but I eventually managed to speak what was on my mind. "Daichi ... even if I had feelings for you ... what would that change? Nothing .... really, nothing. I'm not the right kind of person for you, can't you tell? You need someone confident and lively and upbeat, so I could't be more of a bad choice if I tried. It would change not-"

My last words were muffled as he pulled me towards him, pressing my face to his chest.

"You can't know what would change ... you can't know, so don't talk like it's hopeless from the beginning!"

"But Daichi ... you couldn't possibly want to ... date me." I muttered, the last part coming out as a mere whisper.

He leaned back, looking me in the eyes. "That IS what I want. The only thing I want, actually ..."

"But ... but ... but you'd get bored to death! I don't like sports, I never go out anywhere, I hate places with too many people and ... I'm sure there's a million other things as well!"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I wouldn't mind. I don't think there would be anything wrong with just doing all the same things we've always done ... walking home from school, sitting in the park, getting ice cream at Ukai's store, talking to each other in our rooms like we are right now ... just the two of us. But we could also hold hands, and we could watch your favorite movies together, I could hold you close to me whenever you get scared ... "

He went on listing things with his arms around me, smiling more and more with every word he spoke. Leaning on his chest, I couldn't look away from him.

_I don't think we've ever looked at each other for so long ... I still can't grasp how I ended up in your arms, Daichi ... I always thought you were handsome in a way, but this spark in your eyes right now is different from anything I've seen before ... all these things you're telling me ... maybe, just maybe ... I'll believe you?_

"... and one day, I could kiss you for real." He blushed as he was done speaking.

I tensed up at the thought.

_A k-kiss?! A real one? I ... I would probably die ... even your little kisses on my tears were almost too much for me!_

"But I wouldn't unless you'd really want me too!" He quickly added. "I don't want to push you into something you don't want ... I just ... wish I had a chance with you."

_Ah ... I should have seen this coming. Yui, I hear you screaming at me right now ... I hear your 54 texts and your 21 voice-mails telling me not to screw this up. Uhm ... I can't believe this, I really can't believe this ... but I have to._

"Okay."

He stayed silent for a while until I guess it finally hit him. "What?"

"I ... umm ... I'm giving you a chance."

"You'll go out with me? You'll be mine? I'll get to call you my girlfriend?!"

I could feel my cheeks turn red at his last question, but I replied regardless:

"Yes."

Tears showed up in the corners of his eyes before he pulled me even closer to him, burying his head in my shoulder. Slowly, I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, an unexplainable smile on my lips. We both shed a few more tears ... we laughed together ... and I'll never forget how many times he whispered it over and over that day:

**"I love you ... I love you so much."**


	7. Chapter 7

I came back to school the next day - I was only gone for a little while and yet it felt like I returned to a completely different world. I was afraid to face Yui, but she came running to me instead; I asked her a billion times if she was really okay with how things ended up until she threatened to slap my face again if I don't stop being stupid. We went on talking about other things and making faces at each other during classes just like we always did, but my thoughts were somewhere else entirely.

_Stupid ... hmm, yes ... I think I am a little bit stupid after all. Haven't I always been this way, though? Over-thinking the simplest things and worrying just a bit too much about everyone else in this world ... Because it's easier to worry about other people, isn't it? They're all so interesting ... and I'm kind of plain._

_But maybe that's okay ... if Daichi loves me for it, I guess it's okay if I act a bit stupid here and now._

 

We hadn't made any plans for that day so I assumed I'd see him after school, before they start practice - but he apparently had a different idea. As lunch break started, Yui and I were making our way down the hallway together when I suddenly got yanked back by a pair of strong arms, pulling me into a hug from behind.

"Found you!" He whispered into my ear. I turned around to see Daichi's smiling face as he looked at Yui: "Mind if I steal her from you?"

"Not at all, I'm already gone!" She said, laughing as she dashed down the hallway on her own.

Daichi took my hand and we walked outside together - without a single word about it, we both knew where we were going. Still holding hands, we sat on the lonely broken bench behind the school building and I couldn't help but smile at the thought that he'd want to spend time here with me.

"I know what you're thinking." He said to me while looking at the sky.

"You do?"

"Mhm. You're happy because I brought you to my special place, right? But nope, you're wrong."

"W-Why?"

His hand let go of mine, only for him to pull me into a hug. "Well, it's not my special place anymore. It's ours now."

_Ours. Something that belongs to us. Me and Daichi, together ... I like it._

 

It became our routine to meet there every day since then. We gossiped about teachers, he told me about all the crazy things that happened at their last practice, I read him bits of whatever novel I was reading at the time because he insisted that he could never get through so many books on his own, but he still wanted to know what the stories were about - because they were the stories I liked. But my favorite were the days when we just sat next to each other, holding hands and looking up at the clouds - because those usually ended with his arms around me as I rested my head on his shoulder, and that was a great feeling.

On the rare occasion when we finished school early enough, he walked home with me and then went back for practice. But even if we barely had time to say hello before he had to run to the gym, I didn't mind walking home alone ... after all, he always stopped by my house on his way home, no matter how late their practice was. We did our homework together, we studied together and we watched movies together whenever we had the time. With no interest in romance comedies, he had a hard time understanding why they were so funny to me, but he insisted that he enjoys them regardless, saying that if nothing else, he gets to see me smile every time we watch one. If there happened to be a volleyball match on TV, we watched that instead and I tried my best to follow the plays as he described what the players were doing. It was usually too fast for me anyway, but I paid a lot of attention to the captains of the teams we watched: they all seemed like strong, reliable people that you'd love to depend on, so I could totally see why Daichi was the perfect captain. After all, I had no problems depending on him for anything: he always kept his promises, he never said anything unless he truly meant it and when he held me in his arms, all of my worries ceased to exist for a moment.

 

~~~

 

Life with Daichi has been so peaceful, I should have probably figured out that something was bound to happen which would disturb our simple happiness. In movies, there's always a calm before the storm ... and I felt like I was living in a movie for quite some time already.

We stood at the door of my room, hugging each other tightly as I was about to see him off.

"Letting you go and going home isn't getting any easier, you know." He whispered with a smile, kissing the top of my head. "If anything, it's harder to do every time." The look in his eyes seemed somewhat distant and I couldn't exactly pin-point what it was, but something was off about the way he spoke.

"Daichi, what's wr-"

My attempt to find out what's bothering him was cut short by thumping noises and voices coming from the hallway. Surprised, we both looked downstairs to see what the commotion was about, and in that moment, I heard my dad's voice:

"Sarah, for heaven's sake, wait here!"

_WHAT??? Oh no. Please, not now. Today of all days? ... Oh no. WHY??_

I froze to the spot as the reality of the situation hit me a mere second before the sound of heels and the heavy scent of perfume filled the hallway downstairs, together with an unbearably excited voice:

"Darling, guess who's come for a surprise visit!!!"

In the next second, our eyes met - her standing at the bottom of the stairs and me at the other end, leaned against Daichi's chest. In slow motion, I watched her face distort in a mixture of anger, hate, shock and disappointment as her eyes scanned Daichi from head to toe, her gaze cold enough to pierce concrete - and when she spoke again, her voice wasn't much nicer either:

"Get your hands off of her right this instant. What's the meaning of this?!"

 

_Ah yes ... nice to see you too, mother._


	8. Chapter 8

I could see that Daichi, with his sharp sense for tense situations, figured out what was going on immediately - but at the same time, almost instinctively, his grip around me tightened.

"I am very much sorry to disappoint you, but I don't think your daughter would like that," he said with a peaceful yet determined expression that turned into a soft smile as he looked at me. "Unless you want me to let go of you?"

I shook my head, clinging tighter onto him as proof.

"I thought so." He said, patting my head without breaking eye contact with my mother downstairs.

My dad was now down in the hallway as well, his expression grim as he grabbed her shoulder:

"Who do you even think you are?! Coming into MY house unannounced, turning a deaf ear to anything I say to you at the door AND insulting my daughter's boyfriend? Just who do you think you are?!"

Unfazed by his anger, she kept her cold tone and condescending expression as she looked up at us: "Boyfriend? I don't know what shocks me more ... that you actually found someone or that this was the best you could do." She pushed dad's hand away and headed for the kitchen. "And as for your question - I'm her mother. And I'd like to know why I wasn't notified about this ... development."

Daichi looked at me in disbelief. "This ... this is what your mother is like?"

Pulling his hand and leading him downstairs, I nodded quietly.

"This kind of shit is why I divorced her ... as if that ever stopped her, though." Dad sighed as the three of us walked after her, met with expecting eyes as soon as we entered the kitchen.

Sitting at the table, she still didn't bother to say hello to me and turned to Daichi instead: "Where did you even come from? What on earth do you think you're doing? I see this tacky sports jacket - do you know how much I HATE jocks? Hah, that's probably why she's with you to begin with, isn't she?"

_I can't believe this. I hate you, mother. I hate you. I didn't hate you when you were never home when I was a kid. I didn't hate you when your conference trips overseas were more important than my birthdays. I didn't hate you when taking up night shifts at the hospital was more fun to you than reading me bedtime stories. I was really mad at you when your selfish absence hurt dad so much that he couldn't take it anymore, yet I didn't hate you - not even when you stopped calling and when you only dropped by every few months ... or once a year, if you felt like it. I didn't hate you, I really didn't._

_But I hate you now. I absolutely hate you now._

In the face of all her nonsense, Daichi just calmly shook his head and waited for her to finish. Once she did, he wasted no time getting back at her, with courage that surprised both me and my dad:

"This is extremely rude of you. I haven't heard much about you at all, except that you're a surgeon in Sapporo and that you rarely bother coming to visit." He gazed at me for a moment before he continued: "All she ever told me was that she doesn't get along with you because you two rarely talk ... but in all honesty, she could've told me you were the devil and I think I'd believe her after seeing this ..."

Dad and I couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

"... But because my mom raised me to be a respectful person, I will answer all your questions no matter how much I already dislike you. I came from 5 houses down the street, that's where I live. I've been dating your daughter for the past two months. I don't think our jacket is tacky because black is an awesome color, but you're free to disagree. I also had no idea that you dislike people who play sports, but there's one thing that doesn't make sense to me at all ..."

He took a step forward, tilting his head to the side just like my dad so often did years ago when he was still obligated to deal with her outbursts.

"Why does it matter what YOU like or don't like? She doesn't particularly like sports either, but she tolerates one volleyball idiot all the time - me. The only thing that matters to us is how we feel about each other ... and I love your daughter from the bottom of my heart."

_Daichi ... you're incredible ... I have absolutely no words._

But she remained completely unmoved by the speech that brought tears to the corners of my eyes.

"Good for you." She said with a cold smile on her lips. "Good for you if you love her. Weak like she is, she'll need someone to leach off of in life. Good for you if you love her - but what about her? Do you think she loves you?"

I saw Daichi's hand twitch as he reached back, taking hold of mine.

"She ... she ..." He stuttered, his gaze falling to the floor as he realized he couldn't say it.

_I ... I never told you. I never even told myself ... so why is it suddenly here now, screaming in my heart? Daichi ... you kissed away all my tears. You made me smile, you held me in your arms whenever I felt overwhelmed with the world, you made me laugh at the simplest things ... yet now, you're pushed into a corner because of me and I ... I still don't have the courage to say it._

Amused by his silence, she laughed again. "She never said she loves you, did she? Ah, you see, mothers always know their little kids best. She's too afraid of life to love anything ... or anyone. But I can imagine how nice it must have been in your head to tell yourself that you're special to her ... that you actually mean something."

A single tear rolled down his cheek as he tried to avoid her menacing glare. Slowly, I felt his grip on my hand loosen until he almost completely let go of it.

_Oh ... is this really how I'm letting it happen? She doesn't show up for a year and then ... then I still have nothing to own up to? After a whole year, am I still the same person I was last year? Last year, and the year before that, and the year before that one. Heh ... I never really managed to change, did I? After all, I never had anything worth changing for ..._

_... until now._

In the last second before his hand let go of mine, I pulled it back, holding it with all my strength as I stepped in front of him, face to face with my mother.

_I never spoke loudly. I never made up my mind about so many things. Yes, I was afraid. For the longest time, I was afraid of life. But there are exceptions for everything - I know that now._

When I began to speak, I could barely recognize my own voice; it was clear and possibly even louder than Daichi's was just moments before.

"I am not a little kid anymore. Especially not YOUR little kid ... but I hate to admit that you're right. I was afraid. WAS afraid, you hear me? I'm not anymore. That's why I'll tell you this once, and only once: don't ever come back here. I don't want your surprise visits. I watched for years how much you hurt dad and I couldn't do anything because I was too young. I spent so much time being hurt by your words and I didn't have the courage to tell you that I don't want any of your stupid advice. But Daichi ... Daichi is the one person I will not let you hurt! I am not afraid to stand in your way anymore. I am not afraid - you know why?"

I pulled Daichi closer to me, shoving our linked hands to her face.

"Because of this. Because I'm in love with him."


	9. Chapter 9

For the first time in my life, I felt like my mother finally heard something I wanted to say. An immense feeling of freedom began to spread through my soul as I watched how dad grabbed her arm, pulled her up from the chair, pushed her handbag into her arms and then dragged her towards the front door.

"Wai-"

"No. You don't get to tell me what to do in my house. If I want to throw you out, I can. And I will."

"But I'm her mo-"

"Her mother?" He said, his voice raising - a little angry, but mostly just disappointed. "You say that every time you want things to go your way. You said that every time you called out of nowhere. You said that every time you showed up here on the shortest notice because you "suddenly had time to come see her." And I let you. Because even though you were full of nothing but yourself each time you talked to her, even though you probably have no idea what kind of person your daughter is ... I still hoped that maybe, you two could have a good relationship someday. I let you have that chance, but you blew it. You better remember this day for the rest of your life: this is the day your own daughter decided that she doesn't want you in her life anymore. And I will support her decision: you're going out this door, back into your car and where you drive to is none of my business. But you're never - NEVER - coming to this house again."

And that was it. With a thud of the slamming door, my mother was gone as quick as she came. Shrugging his shoulders, dad gave me a slight wink and then walked off to his room like nothing special happened, leaving Daichi and I alone in the kitchen. Turning to face him, I hugged him tighter than ever before:

"I am so sorry you had to see this ... I am so sorry for all the things she said to you, I had no idea she would visit ... "

But Daichi stayed silent. He didn't even put his arms around me like he usually would and I looked up at him, worried whether something she said to him was too much for him to handle.

Our eyes met and still, he didn't say anything.

"Daichi?"

Slowly, he lifted his hand to my face, gently running his fingers along my cheek.

"Hey ... am I in heaven right now?"

"Heaven? Why?"

He smiled before leaning down and pressing his forehead against mine. "Because the most beautiful angel is hugging me and ... and I think she said she's in love with me."

"Daichi ... I love you. I really do love you! I don't know when it happened but I'm in love with you!"

As I repeated my feelings for him over and over, he wrapped his arms tight around me, finally returning my embrace. "Ah ... you're really something special. I've been the happiest man on earth ever since you said you'd be mine, so how is this even possible?? How do I feel even happier now? My heart feels like it's gonna explode from all this ... it's all I ever wished for, but I'm not even sure I can handle your love. It's like a movie, no, it's just like a dream ... being loved by you is something I've only ever dared to dream about and now ... now ...."

He pulled back a little, gazing into my eyes as he slowly twined his fingers between the strands of my hair. His last sentence hung in the air between us, but neither of us needed it to be finished. Our hands feeling each other's warmth, our slow breathing cutting the silence between us, the sparks in our eyes and our hearts beating as one for the first time - it was more than enough to speak for itself. Without a second thought, I closed my eyes as I felt his lips on mine: gentle, careful, moving slowly as if trying to savor each moment of our love. The second this overwhelming warmth left my lips, I already missed it terribly, gasping for his touch more than I did for air:

"Daic-"

He kissed me again before I could even call his name and all of my doubts were suddenly gone.

_He knows. He knows how deeply I love him, how desperately I need him, how much I want his touch, his hugs, his kisses ... all of him. He definitely knows ... and so do I._

_Daichi ... I'm never letting go of these feelings. I love you, and I'll never let go of it now that I've finally realized it. So please ... please ..._

"Don't .... Don't ever let me go!" I uttered between kisses, almost completely out of breath.

His lips covered mine again and again, but he still took a moment to whisper into my ear: "Oh ... never. Never. I'm never letting you go. You're mine, you're all that matters to me, you're all that's in my heart ... and I love you, I love you so much. I could never let you go, I could never leave you ... I'm yours ... and I'll make you remember that!"

 

~~~

 

Not long after, we walked hand in hand down the street towards his house, the sensation of our first kiss still lingering around us. I couldn't help but smile as I watched the happy expression on his face.

"Daichi ... are you really okay after all that happened today?"

He looked at me, chuckling slightly. "You mean with your mother?"

"Yep."

"Ahh ... I'll admit, that was a train wreck. It went down right in front of my eyes but I couldn't grasp it at all! I kept thinking how could this be someone you're related to - because you're nothing like her, I hope you know that!"

"I do. That's why we never got along, even when I was still a kid ... her idea of a perfect daughter was a doll in pink dresses. And I never liked pink, I think, but I hate it because of her. And I hate dolls too."

"Did you hate being around people when you were little?"

His question caught me off guard and I had to think a bit, but I managed to recall some memories eventually: "No. I had a lot of friends in kindergarten ... and in elementary school too, I think. But then ... I mean, you have to know, my mother wasn't always like that. Dad told me stories all the time about how amazing she was when they met and started dating and got married ... but as her career went on, she became colder and colder ... and elementary school was when it all got a lot worse. They fought a lot ... and I wanted to hide from that noise, but when I couldn't do that, I ended up hiding from the entire world instead."

He squeezed my hand a bit tighter, probably because he heard my voice shaking. "It's okay ... you don't have to push yourself. I'm really glad you're telling me this in the first place."

"No, it's okay ... I should have told you the first time you and Yui asked about my mother ... but it was easier to just say that we don't talk much. You know, after dad asked for a divorce, I thought things would change ... and they did. We moved around a couple times, we had fun in every place we lived in, he even had a few new girlfriends along the way and they were all really nice to me. Everything changed ... except for me. I kept on hiding even after the noise was gone - that's just the coward I am."

"Heh ... I can't say you're not a scaredy-cat. But I don't think you're a coward ... I never thought that, I only ever thought that your shyness was adorable. Though I have to admit, the way you stood up for yourself today, that sent shivers down my spine! You're already endearing beyond all measure but seeing you all fired up like that ... gaaah, you looked so hot, I thought my heart was gonna stop beating! Show that side of you again sometime, okay? Oh, but only to me ... I don't want anyone else to see you like that, they might try and steal you from me," he said, pulling me into his arms as we reached his house.

His explicably honest words made me blush deeper than I thought they would, but I couldn't resist looking into his eyes, even if it meant he got to see a bit of the redness on my face in the dark evening air.

"Don't worry ... I was only able to do it because you were there with me. I couldn't have done it on my own, or with anyone else. Finally, I feel that I've changed somehow ... I don't know what it means or where it leads from now on, but I know one thing: you're the reason for it - and that makes me happy. But ... are you really okay? Like, really, really okay?"

Smiling, he brought his lips towards mine and I closed my eyes right before he stopped, our lips barely brushing against each other.

"Yeah, I'm okay. A tank could've ran me over today and I think I'd still be okay after kissing you. But ... if you're so worried, you can let me do that once again."

I nodded gently as his lips took mine with the same warmth and passion as before. We both knew that eventually, we'd have to part and say our goodbyes for the day, but we still kissed as if we had the whole eternity to ourselves.

_It's kinda funny actually ... just before this whole thing went down, I was about to ask you if something was wrong because I thought you were acting weird ... but there's nothing wrong. Everything is perfect just the way it is. If there's a checklist for life, I'm pretty sure this is the ultimate goal - loving someone as much as I love you._


	10. Chapter 10

Just when I got back home, my phone beeped and I saw a text from Daichi come up:

"I forgot to ask you - any plans tomorrow?"

I chuckled as I typed my reply: "Yes, you <3 Otherwise nothing - when have I ever had plans on Saturday?"

"I'm honored. That means I get to have you all to myself?"

"Yes."

"Good. I'll be at your door at 8, we're going out for the whole day!"

"Where???"

"Not telling. Goodnight, my love <3"

"I love you <3 Goodnight."

I set an alarm on my phone and got ready for bed, excitement welling up inside of me.

_I wonder where he wants to take me ... and why so early? Well, it's not like I mind seeing him first thing in the morning!_

 

_~~~_

 

As soon as I got out of the house the next morning, he already grabbed my hand and started running, dragging me behind him:

"Hurry up or we'll be late!"

"Okay, okay, but where are we going?"

"First, Sendai. Second, you'll see."

We made it in time for the bus and even though I kept asking him about our final destination, he refused to tell me. Once in Sendai, he took me to the train station with the same fast pace as before and I was starting to lose my breath.

"Daichi, please, I don't have extreme sports training every day like you do, I can't run this much!"

"Don't worry - if you faint, I'll have an excuse to carry you in my arms."

"That ... okay, that was kind of romantic. But please don't."

"I won't, heh ... at least not where everyone would get to see you blush like crazy. That cuteness is something only I have the privilege of seeing."

Saying that, he abruptly stopped in front of one of the trains. He looked up at the terminal number and the name of the line once again to make sure it was right, and I finally got to see where he was taking me:

"Tokyo? Why are we going to Tokyo!?? Isn't that a bit far for a date?"

He just smiled at me until we found places to sit, giving me a small hug as I sat next to him. "Not even the moon would be too far for you. But, it's not like this is just a regular date. I thought we could go see our new university together, so ... uhm ... was it a bad idea?"

I shook my head. "No, not at all! I've actually been there a few times already but I'm sure it will seem like an entirely new place if you're with me."

"I guess you'll show me around then ... I've never been there." He said, his eyes averting mine awkwardly.

"Daichi, you chose your university without even going to check it out first?"

"Uhm .... I ... yes. But that was before we started dating! The teachers kept pressing all of us to say where we wanted to go to college so I just decided to go with the same university as you ... because I didn't want you to go somewhere as far as Tokyo where I could never see you again."

I laughed. "But you told me you've always wanted to study in Tokyo."

"Well, yes. I didn't want you to think I was clingy or something ... you deserve only the coolest boyfriend."

"Heh ... you're so cute."

"What?"

"When you try to hide all your mistakes - it's funny to me because it's pointless to do that. After all, I'll still love you even if you do silly things sometimes."

He sighed slowly, looking at me. "Ah ... I don't think I'll ever get used to this ... you saying that you love me. That's like, my favorite new drug."

I leaned closer to him, softly kissing his cheek. "I love you. And please don't get high on my love, that's most likely not healthy."

"I've been on cloud nine for the past two months - I think I'll be fine." He said, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. "But hey, speaking of my mistakes, I might have screwed up a little ..."

"Yes?"

"Well, I needed some help planning this trip so I, uhm, asked some of my Tokyo friend for advice and they wanted to know why I'm coming here and then I told them about my girlfriend and ... long story short, there might be a couple of really hyper dorks waiting for us at the station because they insisted that they both wanted to meet you."

"You mean your volleyball friends?"

"Yes."

"Oh, so hyper like Hinata? That's okay, those kinda guys are funny."

"Well, not exactly like Hinata. More like Hinata and Nishinoya combined - plus they're both about the same height as Tsukishima."

For a brief second, I imagined the calm and composed Tsukishima running around and screaming random nonsense. "Yikes."

Probably guessing my thoughts, Daichi laughed: "See, I knew you'd a little bit intimidated."

"Pfffft, like I'd ever be scared of a couple tall guys."

" ... says the girl who ran away from Azumane before he even had a goatee."

I shot him a cold gaze and answered with a sarcastic tone: "We do not discuss that unfortunate event. It is not my fault that he is a human wall. End of story."

"Okay, I'm backing off - for now. It's too funny to let go, honestly." Scratching his head, his eyes suddenly lit up as if he had just remembered something important. "Oh, by the way ... I wanted to ask you something yesterday, but then your mother stormed in and I didn't get the chance ..."

_Oh ... wait, so there was something odd about his tone of voice after all? I wasn't just imagining things ..._

"Sure, what is it?"

"Ah, nothing important really, I just wanted to know if you've already found a place to stay at next year?"

"Not yet. I looked at some dorm rooms but I haven't decided yet. I mean, there's still lots of time. Why did you want to know? Let me guess - you want to be in the same dorm as me?"

He blushed a bit and stuttered quietly: "M-Maybe I do. Is that a bad thing?"

"It isn't. It makes me happy."

"Good." He sighed in relief. "That's good."

 

The rest of the ride passed by quickly and before I knew it, I was already walking close next to Daichi as he walked around the Tokyo station, looking to see where his buddies were. It just so happened that looking with eyes proved completely useless because we could hear their enthusiastic screams from a mile away:

"Oyaaaaa oyaaaa oyaaaa Sawamuraaaa! I can not believe you made it here in one piece!" I saw a tall guy run towards us through the crowd, his spiked up white hair whooshing left and and right. Coming closer, he noticed me and stopped in his tracks: "Oh my god. Wow. Oh my god she is so pretty!"

Daichi grinned and put and arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. Before he had a chance to say anything, another tall guy appeared in the crowd, moving strands of jet black hair away from his face as he saw us: "Idiot, Bokuto! I told you to wait for me! I hate you, it's not fair you get to see them first!"

"Kuroo get over here, she is so pretty, I can't believe this!"

_Aha ... so they're Bokuto and Kuroo. They seem like really nice people ... though .... I hate to be mean but they both need to take a chill pill ... and Kuroo would need a hairbrush, like, immediately._

I chuckled at my inner thoughts, prompting another reaction from the guys:

"Oh my god she smiled, Kuroooooo, she smiled, aaaargh why can't I get a girlfriend?!"

"Because girls don't like owls, ha!"

"... and because your first reaction when seeing a cute girl is to scream and go nuts right in front of her." A guy with dark, careful eyes said as he came up behind Bokuto and pulled him back. He then nodded at Daichi and bowed politely in front of me. "I'm Akaashi - nice to meet you. I came as Bokuto control, sorry I couldn't stop him sooner but seriously, when he dashed into the crowd, I lost sight of him for a moment." He then straightened back up and looked at Kuroo, who was still grinning like a madman. "I'm also very sorry about the fact that Kenma couldn't make it - but I'm not taking responsibility for this stray cat."

"K-Kenma?" I muttered, a tiny bit confused by all the commotion going on.

"He's Kuroo control. Poor guy, really ... I feel bad for him sometimes."

I nodded. "Uhm ... I'm also very glad to meet you all!"

 

Talking and laughing, we walked out of the station together, heading to our future university while the three showed us different sights along the way. After about a half an hour walk, we stopped at a crossroads and Kuroo pointed down the next road:

"It's just down there, like 3 minutes away. We're gonna ditch ya now, cause we're totally third-wheeling! Also, Akaashi promised to buy us ramen and I'm hungry!"

The hyper dorks already turned to walk away as Akaashi shook hands with Daichi to say goodbye.

"Thank you for coming along to keep them in check, I really appreciate it." Daichi said, patting him on the back.

"No problem, I appreciate you taking the time to see us. We'll probably hang around the shops for the rest of the day, so if you'll have any trouble with the Saitama line, just give me a call."

Akaashi waved at us as he walked away, his pace fast enough to catch up with the other two. Smiling, Daichi took my hand and we walked towards the university together.

"They weren't that bad, were they?"

"I actually thought they were kind of fun!"

He nodded. "Yeah, they are - I enjoy their company a lot, but there's still nothing better than being alone with you."

"Same ... but what was that about Saitama?"

"That? Ehm ... eh, I just promised them we'd come by to see their afternoon practice sessions if we had time, you know, it's hard to say no when Bokuto asks over and over again." He chuckled silently as his gaze fell to the ground and I thought I saw a hint of redness flush over his cheeks.

_Ah, Daichi ... you're just worried because you want to spend more time alone with me, aren't you? I know how you feel, but still ..._

"Since we're here, we'll definitely make time. They're your friends after all, and you get to see me every day while they're here in Tokyo. I don't mind going to Saitama with you - just please don't make me go anywhere near any volley balls!"

"I won't, I promise!"

 

We walked around campus for a couple of hours and I showed him all the buildings where I knew I would have my classes next year. In the afternoon, we had lunch in one of the high end sushi restaurants and then headed on the train to Saitama. As we got off the train, he walked straight out of the station with no hesitation in his step.

_Guess it makes sense that he knows his way around here better than in Tokyo ... I mean, they did have a couple practice matches at Fukurodani and all ... but still, this doesn't look like the way to a high school._

"Uhm, Daichi?" I finally spoke up.

"Yes?"

"Are you ... I mean, do you really know where you're going? It doesn't look like there's a high school near here, much less something as big as Fukurodani."

He smiled at me while tilting his head a little. "You're right ... actually, Fukurodani is in the complete opposite direction from the station."

"But then wh-"

He kissed me before I finished my sentence. Surprised, I returned the kiss as I felt his arms around me, pulling me close to him. When our lips parted a short while later, his soft whisper left me even more confused than I already was:

**"The truth is ... I lied a little."**


	11. Chapter 11

"Daichi?"

With a sheepish smile on his lips, he took my hand and gently tugged on it: "This whole trip to Tokyo ... I had something I wanted to show you the whole time. A surprise, I guess? That's the real reason I took you here in the first place ... all that university stuff was just a cover up. We're almost there - you're not mad at me, are you?"

"I ... uhm .... I don't think I am, I'm just really confused right now."

"I'll tell you everything once we get there, I promise!"

Holding his hand, I walked on after him. I studied his face carefully and there was something strained in expression, as if he was unsure or afraid of something - but that mixed in well with the utmost determination in his eyes.

_It seem you've decided on something important ... I wonder what it is ... making me wait is a low tactic, Daichi ... but I trust you on this, just like with everything else. If you have something to show me and if it's important to you ... I think I don't mind being dragged into the middle of nowhere in Saitama._

_But wait ... this really IS the middle of nowhere. I don't remember the last time we passed any bigger shop or a restaurant or something like that. The only thing around here are houses and apartment complexes ... are you taking me for a visit somewhere??_

Stopping on a street corner, he turned towards me: "Can you do me one last favor and close your eyes?"

I nodded, shutting my eyes so that I saw absolutely nothing. I went on relying purely on instinct and the guidance of his arm pulling mine. He led me down the street, then he turned again and suddenly, we were going upstairs. Three floors up, as far as I could tell, he took a deep breath and I heard the sound of keys dangling around.

"Hey, you can look now."

I opened my eyes and saw him open an apartment door in front of me. "Huh?"

He gestured towards the hallway inside. "Please, be my guest."

"Daichi ... what is this?"

"It's an apartment my uncle has. He lives a few minutes away from here and he's been renting this place out to college students for the last few years. We made a deal last year though, If I come study in Tokyo and help out in his car shop when he needs me, I can live here without rent. The last guy broke the lease a few months early so it's been empty for the last 3 weeks and well ... you could say it's mine already. I got the keys and everything - I'll show you around!"

I went in after him as he showed me the few rooms; it was a rather small place, but still bigger than I imagined the usual college apartment would be. We ended up in the kitchen, looking through the window where the sunset began to slowly form on the horizon.

"So ... what do you think? Do you like it?"

"Yeah ... I do. I had no idea you planned to live on your own. I'll ... uhm ... make sure to visit you often!" I said, my voice trembling faintly.

_Honestly ... this ... this makes me sad. I know he's really proud of himself, I know he wanted to surprise me by showing me his own apartment, but ... but ... I really got my hopes up that we would end up in the same dorm together ... and that's not gonna happen now._

Quietly, he slid his arm around me and pulled me towards him, kissing my forehead.

"You don't look happy ... what's wrong?"

"Actually ... I kinda hoped that we ... that we would live closer to each other." I mumbled, ashamed for being selfish when he was clearly so excited to have his own place.

"You really don't get it, do you?"

"Wha-"

His lips covered mine in the same moment, leaving me gasping for air only seconds after. Smiling, he kissed me again and again before I had any chance to speak between the kisses ... but it's not like I really wanted to in the first place. It felt so much better to just close my eyes and give myself over to the reassuring warmth that spread through me with each new kiss. I slowly leaned my head back, feeling his lips move to my jaw and trailing down my neck where a sweet, faint sensation of pain took place as I felt his teeth nibble gently on my skin.

"Aah ... Daichi ..."

In a second, his mouth covered mine again, our tongues twining with each other until we ran out of breath. He finally pulled back a little, grinning as his fingers traced the now red mark on my neck.

"That's gonna stay there for a while, I think." He whispered softly.

I couldn't help but smile back at him. "You're so not sorry for it though."

"Oh, of course I'm not .... it's your fault for being so beautiful. I lose all common sense when I'm with you ... but you don't have much of that either."

"Are you calling me stupid?"

"Yes ... come on, you couldn't seriously think I'd move in here by myself?"

I tensed up the thought, excitement flowing through me like a river.

_He wouldn't .... he just said he wouldn't live alone ... but there's no way ..._

I nodded silently, looking to the ground: "I did think that."

He laughed a little before lifting my chin back up with his hand. "See, this is why I say you're stupid. Do I really look like I would survive being a whole train ride away from you when I can barely let you out of my arms every evening when we're 5 houses apart? I know it isn't anything special, I know it's small and a lot less convenient than a dorm in Tokyo would be, but ... I showed it to you today so that I could ask you if you wanted to live here with me."

"L-Live here?!"

"Yes. Just the two of us. I already asked my uncle and he doesn't mind and ... uhm ... I also took the liberty of telling your dad about it - he said as long as it's something you want, he's okay with it ... I mean, his actual words were that he'll let me steal you away from him because he knows you'll always smile when you're with me, but I thought that was kind of cheesy ..."

"It's true though ... you're my endless supply of happiness, Daichi."

"So ... ?"

I sighed, looking around the room before turning my gaze back to him. "Yes ... I'd love to, but ..."

He spun me around in his arms before stopping abruptly: "But?"

"But .... this orange has to go. I can't stand orange walls." I said, laughing at the worried expression on his face.

"Ah, you idiot. We'll repaint the whole thing if you want to! And there's all kinds of things we still have to bring with us, especially some better furniture, but that's all up to you, take care of the whole interior design thing, okay? Just tell me what to do and it's done! I can't make all things perfect for us, but I'll try my best to make them as close to perfect as possible."

I chuckled slightly as his embrace around me tightened. "Well, there's at least one thing that's already perfect for me - you."

 

Closing the door behind us and walking back to the train station, hand in hand under the falling sunset ... it didn't seem like anything special. To the rest of the world, we looked just like two ordinary people going about their ordinary daily lives. But we knew well enough that there was absolutely nothing ordinary about that day, nothing ordinary about our linked hands and most of all ...

**... there was nothing ordinary about our unexpected, unexplainable, crazy kind of love.**


	12. The Epilogue

Pulling the keys out of the lock as I closed the door, I ran down the staircase and towards the train station.

_I can't believe I'm late on a day like this. Ha ... guess I'll just have to run like a maniac then._

I sprinted most of the way there and made it just in time for Tokyo train. I assumed the station closest to the Metropolitan Gymnasium would be overcrowded, so I got off one station before that and decided to walk the rest of the way. The amount of people was overwhelming, but after half a year at college, I managed to deal with the big city crowd rather well, though I still averted my eyes to the ground when walking around most of the time. That's why I wouldn't even notice any of the people walking around the station that day if it weren't for one unmistakable voice:

"No, this should have been it, look ..."

I turned my head to see a group of tall guys around one of the line maps, and standing between them, the silver-haired setter seemed almost tiny in comparison.

"Hey, Sugawara?"

He turned around and smiled in relief when he saw me approaching them.

"Hey! I can't believe we ran into you, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

I nodded, pointing at the map they were looking at just a moment ago. "Did you get lost?"

One of the other guys slapped him on the back jokingly and laughed: "Yeah, pretty much. Suga screwed up. Do you know where the Metropolitan Gym is?"

"I can take you there if you want."

"Really???!!" All of them yelled in unison.

"Yeah," I chuckled, "I'm actually going there myself."

 

We walked outside together, Sugawara and I talking in front of the rest.

"So I take it that's your new team? Are you a regular?"

"Not really ... that's our main setter over there." He said, pointing to the guy who talked to me earlier. "But that other guy over there and I are also setters, so we switch around a lot - that's our tactic!"

"Good, good, I'll let Daichi know." I said, laughing at how open he was with their strategy.

However, mentioning Daichi sent a shiver down his spine.

"Sugawara?"

"Oh, I'm fine, sorry ... it's just ... this is the first time I'll be playing against Daichi. It feels ... weird."

"I can imagine. But he was really glad when he heard your team also made the qualifiers! He really misses all of you guys."

"Come on, he shouldn't! He has you, isn't that all he needs?"

"Some days, it really feels like that ... like we don't need anything but each other."

"I thought so. How's it like, living with him? I was really surprised when he told me you two were going to move in together."

"Well ... it's perfect. We don't see each other much during the day because of his practices, but we always have dinner together, and falling asleep next to him makes me feel like the next morning, I could get up and conquer the whole world if I had to. We've had more than enough problems, yeah, but we solved them together - and I couldn't be happier."

"I see ... he really changed you."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well ... look at yourself! You approached a group of scary looking guys and you're talking to me now as if it were nothing. A year ago, you were nothing like this."

_... Did I really change that much? I can't see it, but I guess it must be true if Sugawara says so ... all I've noticed is that I'm less and less afraid of this world with every day that goes by, and I'm happier ... a lot happier. But it's not like I did this myself ... I wouldn't get anywhere without Daichi by my side._

 

We got to the Metropolitan Gym after a short walk and said our goodbyes: the guys went to find their changing room and I rushed to find my seat to watch the game. It wasn't long until the teams took the court and I watched with awe as the first set began.

_Yeah ... it definitely seems weird to see you two on opposite sides of the net. Having three setters rotate in and out is frightening ... but I still believe that there's no situation Daichi can't adapt to. He's not the absolute best spiker, he's not the absolute best blocker, he's not the absolute best receiver ... but he is the absolute best player to rely on. And even his new team knows that, I'm sure._

After three extremely close-call sets, Daichi's team won. The people slowly cleared out of the building as I waited for him at the main entrance - it didn't take long before I saw him, walking with confidence alongside two of his teammates, probably discussing the game. However, he stopped in his tracks when he saw me, and the other two guys gave him a surprised look:

"Sawamura, what- oh, that's your girl over there, right?"

"Yeah."

"Have fun then! See ya next week!"

They both ran off somewhere and Daichi and I were suddenly all alone in the hallway. Still, he didn't say anything.

"Daichi?" I said, walking up to hug him.

He slowly slid his arms around me and held me close, leaning his head down on my shoulder: "Did you ... did you come to see the game?"

"I did. I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was coming but ... I wanted to surprise you."

"Mission accomplished." He whispered, burying his face in my neck and gently kissing my skin.

_Aah ... you've kissed me like this a million times already ... but I'm still not used to this overwhelming love I feel for you._

"Are you happy to see me?"

"Crazy happy. I was just thinking how much I wanted you to see this game, but I ..."

"You didn't want to invite me because there's too many people here." I finished his sentence for him, pressing my lips against his before he had the chance to go on. The kiss lasted for a short while before he pulled away:

"Too many people ... that's exactly why I'm surprised you came! Are you okay? Like, are you really okay?"

"Hmm, I wouldn't know. What's that line again?"

"What line?" He asked, looking at me in confusion.

With a mischievous smile, I leaned close to him and whispered in his ear: "Yeah, I'm okay. A tank could've ran me over today and I think I'd still be okay after kissing you. But ... if you're so worried, you can let me do that once again - I think you said something like that once."

"Heh ... you're unbelievable. So? I'm waiting!"

I kissed him again, this time without any intention to leave his lips anytime soon. I felt the irregular beating of his heart as he returned my kiss and the warmth of his hands, cupping my cheeks and slowly bringing my face even closer to his.

"I love you, Daichi .... I love you so much." I caught my breath as our lips parted after what seemed like an eternity.

"I know you do, and I love you too ... more than you could ever imagine!"

"Oh trust me, I imagine just enough. So, we're going home?"

He nodded, taking my hand as we walked back to the station together.

Looking down at my hand in his, I couldn't help but smile.

"Thank you."

"What for?" He asked, looking at the side of my face.

"I talked to Sugawara today, before the match. He said I really changed a lot and it surprised him ... and he's right. But you're the one who brought it out of me. When I'm with you, I feel like I'm shining."

He pulled me closer, putting an arm around my waist: "Of course you shine ... you're my diamond after all. But it doesn't surprise me, you know? Because I saw it in you all along."


End file.
